Crew SC is back at home to face the Montreal Impact for their second meeting of the regular season. The Black & Gold hope to add to their two-game winning streak at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday. Leading up to the 7:30 p.m. kickoff, here are three things to know about the Impact.
Familiar Opponent with Firepower
Crew SC will face the Impact less than a month after the Black & Gold were shutout in their first ever trip to Olympic Stadium. Montreal struck twice in the second half as defender Hassoun Camara and midfielder Kyle Bekker sealed its 2-0 win over the Black & Gold. The Impact outshot Crew SC 18-10 in their last meeting. Montreal will bring plenty of firepower to Columbus. With 13 goals in nine matches, the conference leaders have the second most potent offense in the East.
Watch Out for Didier Drogba
Leading Montreal’s offense is forward Didier Drogba, who will play against Crew SC for the first time this season after sitting out the first meeting between the two clubs in April. Drogba has two goals in five games so far. His first goal of the season came on April 16th in Montreal’s 2-1 win at Chicago. Most recently he struck with a free kick in the Impact’s 2-2 draw with the Colorado Rapids. No doubt, No.11 will be a player to watch out for on Saturday night. But Crew SC has experience dealing with Drogba, keeping the star striker off the score sheet in the MLS Cup Playoffs last year.
Recent Success vs. Crew SC, Struggles at MAPFRE Stadium
The Impact have won only one match in Columbus for a 1-5-0 record at MAPFRE Stadium. Montreal’s only win in the Capital City came on June 6th, 2015 when it defeated the Black & Gold 2-1. Their last visit to MAPFRE Stadium didn’t end so well for the Impact. On November 8, 2015 Crew SC defeated Montreal 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, clinching a berth in the Eastern Conference Championship. At the same time, however, Montreal has been successful against Crew SC recently, having won four of the last five meetings, including the 2015 postseason.
